A budget friendly and easy way to add warmth, coziness and character to your home is to add texture everywhere.
Here are 11 budget friendly decor ideas you can use to incorporate more texture in your home.
1. Linens
Instead of plain old simple cotton or polyester for your cushions, use textured linens to help make your space even more cozy. There are MANY MANY types of linen designs out there on platforms such as Amazon, Aliexpress or Shopee. You are guaranteed to find a design that is within your budget. You can also consider using linens for decor such as a table runner or cup coasters.
Recommended decor/furniture for linens: Cushions, Table Runner, Coasters
2. Laminates
Laminates are a great way to get more of the texture and vibe you want in your space, be it the rawness of concrete or the earthiness of wood. Best yet, laminates help you get that effect at just a fraction of the cost. Also, you do not have to worry about your laminates spoiling or rotting as they tend to be made from synthetic materials that can be designed to replicate real materials such as wood or concrete.
Recommended decor/furniture for laminates: Large surfaces that you want to last a long time, eg fixed TV console cabinets, wardrobes, kitchen cabinets
3. Wood Grains
I personally love wood so much and cannot imagine my home without having this material. No two wood grain surfaces are the same so you can be guaranteed that the furniture you own that has a wood grain pattern is uniquely yours. There are also so many types of wood that you can choose from, even if you are on a budget (you can check out platforms like Taobao, Amazon, Aliexpress or Shopee for budget friendly pieces). If you prefer lighter wood, you can go for ash wood, oak wood, cherry wood or rubber wood. If you prefer darker, more dramatic wood, you can go for walnut or mahogany.
For me, I have ash wood and rubber wood furniture all over my home and I am loving the vibe that my woody furniture give. Best of all, none of the furniture exceeded my budget (the most expensive wooden item is my large 2 meters wide ash wood study table that only cost S$700 [or USD$517).
Recommended decor/furniture for wood: Large furniture like Tables, Chairs, or Small Practical Decor pieces like trays, coasters, tissue boxes
4. Leather
For me, leather is the way to go when it comes to sofas. Leather is WAY easier to clean than a velvet, cotton or a *gasps* linen sofa. A leather sofa does not get sticky because they absorb moisture well and also allow for good airflow. I also love how real leather (such as calf leather) ages so beautifully over time.
Leather may be more expensive than other materials like cotton or linen, however, in the long run, it may be the most cost (and time effective) option. A leather sofa will save you the time spent worrying about the sofa getting stained and also the money spent getting a new sofa replacement.
I got my leather sofa from a local store (megahomefurnishing.com.sg) in Singapore. When it comes to your sofa, I strongly recommend you to go down to a furniture store to try it out yourself, since it is going to be quite a big purchase. If it is too inconvenient for you to head down to a store, you can consider getting your sofa from online platforms like Amazon or Taobao.
Recommended decor/furniture for leather: Furniture expected to last like Sofas, Armchairs
5. Concrete
Concrete simply screams RAW and can be a very grounding element to have in your home. However, concrete can come with some downsides, eg, water can easily seep through and can be difficult to remove. If you want to have the concrete look in your home but do not want to go through the hassle, you can consider having tiles or laminates that look like concrete!
I used Fabio Ercolano from Lamitak for my TV Console cabinet and I absolutely love the dark concrete look and texture it gives to the space. It is also soo fun to touch too.
Recommended decor/furniture for concrete: Small decor like plant pots, trays
Recommended decor/furniture for laminates with concrete patterns: Large surfaces that you want to last a long time, eg fixed TV console cabinets, wardrobes, kitchen cabinets
6. Marble
Marble is a durable material that tends to be smooth and glossy to the touch. Marble also usually comes in an array of abstract textured waves that are really stunning to look at. Marble can be very expensive if you buy it from a shop near you. However, did you know that you can easily get marble for a less expensive price if you do some digging?
There is a reason why so many people love to shop on Taobao (myself included) because the furniture there can be really cheap, including marble! I bought my marble dining table for only $700 and I must say that the quality is definitely fantastic. My marble table has received plenty of compliments from guests who have visited my home and they were all shocked when I told them that the table only costs S$800 (or around US$600).
If shopping on Taobao seems intimidating to you, you can check out Howtotao, a fantastic blog that guides you step by step on how you can shop on Taobao. It is one of the best blogs I have come across so far!
Recommended decor/furniture for marble: Furniture that you want to last a long time, eg Dining table, Study table. Also suitable for small decor pieces like Display Trays.
7. Velvet
Velvet reminds me of royalty and therefore, it was a must for me to have it in my space. However, velvet has the tendency to attract dust, hence, do refrain from using it for large pieces of furniture, such as your bedding or your sofa. It is also not very practical to get velvet for such furniture, especially if you are on a budget, because cheaper velvet tends to be made from synthetic materials like polyester. Polyester traps heat and your whole body will feel like a sauna if you are wrapped with it.
A suggestion on how you can incorporate velvet in your home on a budget is to use velvet as your cushion covers! If you get your cushion covers from Aliexpress, each cushion cover only costs less than $10!
Recommended decor/furniture for Velvet: Cushion Covers
8. Glossy Surfaces
Contrast your rough textures with some glossy textures for a more balanced aesthetic. Glossy surfaces can be materials like marble, mirrors, or glass. Instead of having open bookshelves, why not have bookshelves with glass doors? Doing so will allow you to see what’s inside your bookshelf while also minimizing the amount of accumulated dust at the same time.
Recommended decor/furniture for glass: Display Cabinets
Recommended decor/furniture for any other glossy surface: any furniture in a space where you want to balance out the matte or textured materials.
9. Varying Wood Tones
Instead of having the same wood tone, make your space look more interesting by having wood in different shades. A tip for ensuring that none of the wood shades look out of place is to always ensure that at least 2 items have the same shade of wood. Eg, your coffee table and your dining table can have the same shade, your ceiling fan and your bookshelf can be of the same shade.
10. Rattan
Rattan is a gorgeous way to add texture to your home but it can be super difficult to clean too. A tip for you if you want to have rattan is not to use it for big furniture (eg your chairs or tables). This is because it is inevitable that rattan will collect dust and you do not want to constantly have to clean so much rattan. To still incorporate some rattan in your home, perhaps you can get small rattan pieces instead, like a rattan basket or a rattan lamp. Same effect, Less stress!
Recommended decor/furniture for rattan: Smaller pieces like Lamps, Trays
11. Embrace Imperfection
Lastly, incorporating more texture in your home can also be about embracing imperfection. When everything looks too perfect, a home will simply not feel homely. Therefore, embrace imperfection such as uneven walls, different furniture that are slightly of a different wood tone, as they help to add more depth and warmth to your home. There is so much more to life than worrying about every little imperfection in your home.